That was Rude

[BlueKota]

This morning in the grocery store I was standing off to the side, waiting for my sister to come back from getting something on her list we'd forgotten.

I saw and heard a woman politely ask a stock clerk where the baking goods aisle was. The stock clerk actually replied, "how the hell am I supposed to know, stock clerks aren't required to know what groceries are where."

I understand a lot of people are underpaid, overworked, and stressed, but why take it out on the other lady? The customer just said thank you, sorry to have bothered you, and walked away. I can understand the stock clerk might get frustrated being asked where stuff is all the time, but couldn't she have just said, I am sorry Mam I don't, and leave it at that. IMHO there was no need to give such a rude response.

[elleng]

1. She sure as hell should have.

Wouldn't happen @ 'my' grocery store (prolly.)

but as you mentioned it, this happened to me today, and I'm still kicking myself;

Getting San Pelligrino water, hoping I'd be able to reach it! Woman no taller than I asked if she could help, just as I reached it. She then noticed some item whose price had increased, she complained that same size as before but they'd raised the price.

I mentioned that Potus has recently similarly complained, and she said something like 'why would HE care, everythings being provided for him?' GUess I was DUMBfounded, so said something not useful, like 'we all have to pay,' when I SHOULD have said Potus CARES that We the People face inequities, and he does what he can to address such.' I FAILED.

[BlueKota]

14. This is the first time I witnessed it in this store

Their employees are usually smiling, polite, and helpful. The company is always near the top for best places to work based on employee surveys. My cousin started working there when he was 14 as a grocery bagger and is still with them at 65. They helped pay part of his tuition to go to college for computer science, and after he graduated they gave him a job setting up new and fixing malfunctioning equipment in their chain of stores.

Heck the owner even had my cousin flown in his private jet when my cousin had a heart issue while installing cash registers in the new store out of state and he and his wife stayed with him at the local hospital until my cousin's wife got there.

They're not perfect I'm sure, but they're not your typical uncaring employers either.

[elleng]

16. Glad your relations there are good, similar to mine.

[Niagara]

34. Holy

The sitting President and his family have to pay for groceries. I remember Michelle Obama reminiscing about a particular food item that Barack liked that was pricey and they had to pay for their grocery bill, so Michelle put her foot down with Barack.


https://www.rd.com/list/things-u-s-presidents-have-to-pay-for-on-their-own/



The next time someone trashes a sitting President about not paying for stuff, you can now politely correct them if you wish.

[elleng]

36. Imagine THAT!!!

[Niagara]

38. Exactly. I've had people try that with me. They're not successful and I politely explain it.

[SamKnause]

40. Thanks, that was very informative.

[Niagara]

42. My pleasure, SamKnause.

I wish that I could remember where I encountered when Michelle Obama was speaking about the grocery bill.


That was informative as well.

[BlueKota]

53. I never knew that.

[Niagara]

66. There ya go, BlueKota.

More Presidential facts in your facts arsenal.

[Laffy Kat]

44. It happens to all of us.

I can come up with the greatest come-backs about an hour or two after the fact.

[Mosby]

2. Nowadays that stocker might not work for the store

Some grocery chains outsource stocking and merchandising to save money. Others also like Lowe's.

Doesn't make it any better of course.

[Aristus]

12. I think you're right. I've seen vendor stockers there, delivering the items they're contracted for,

and I try to check their name tags or clothing for non-Safeway logos, so I don't end up asking them where a particular item is.

I generally don't need much help anyway. I've been shopping at the same Safeway for nearly twenty years now.

[csziggy]

45. I wish I could find stuff easily at Publix!

I've been shopping at Publix all my life - grew up fifteen miles from where the chain began - but here in Tallahassee, it depends on which store I'm in if I can find things.

It seems that every Publix store has a different layout so trying to remember which one has what layout is difficult. Part of this is that they took over the Bruno's chain, which had several stores in town, but the other part is that they have built a lot of new stores and they don't seem to stick to a specific blueprint for every store.

It's very frustrating.

[BlueKota]

17. That's possible

I know the Coke and Pepsi bottlers in the area stock their own products in this store, but even they are normally helpful and friendly. One of them over heard me telling a friend I couldn't remember which aisle something was in, and he told me, even though I hadn't asked him.

[soldierant]

50. Yes, that occurred to me.

I've had stock clerks explain (politely) that they were not store employees.

And it might make it a trifle better for the owners, who seem to be decent people.

[BlueKota]

56. It's owned by a family who started out as a small

grocery store, and it has expanded into a lot of the North Eastern U.S. They've done a lot for local charities, and paid for at least part of the tuitions of employees who want college degrees. I think they have to agree to continue to work for the company for two years, but that's not a bad deal.

[soldierant]

62. You sold me on them in comment #2 ...

but I'm 78, and had forgotten the details by the time I got that far down, so I was more wishy-washy than I should have been.

[Swede]

3. Folks are going through shit we know nothing about.

She was caught at her worst, perhaps.

[OAITW r.2.0]

13. Perhaps, but I didn't get that from reading the OP.

I suspect the poster differentiates between rude and someone who is going through some personal tribulation. At my local grocery store, we are 1/2 size compared to large urban centers. They hire a lot of folks....because I am there at least 3 times a week, you get to know folks. Most are really friendly, but a few are totally uninterested in engaging with the customer. I avoid those and checkout with the folks that are friendly.

[BlueKota]

19. That is the way it usually is at this store.

There are some that appear to not be happy to be there, but they're definitely the exception, and I never saw anyone give that rude of a reply.

[OAITW r.2.0]

31. How hard is it to remember where the baked goods are?

The person is maybe a drama king/queen.

[BlueKota]

35. For sure

My sister is retired now but she was the chief financial officer of a not for profit, and she said if she had ever witnessed one of her staff treating a client like that she would have fired them on the spot

[OAITW r.2.0]

39. Mandatory, "how are you" at check-in.

Most mean it...some don't.

[BlueKota]

18. That could be

I just felt bad for the customer, because I didn’t see anything in her behavior that deserved that sort of response.

[KS Toronado]

49. I know where all trolls belong

[BlueKota]

54. Obviously not very good at her job

[GP6971]

55. Hello. You sound nice.

[William769]

57. 3rd times a charm.

[rogerballard]

4. I have done a few retail jobs in my day...

that would be grounds for immediate dismissal. No questions.

[BlueKota]

20. I worked for Sears over the holidays

once and I know I would have been fired instantly too.

[stopdiggin]

5. you're more than correct - little or no excuse

(and, yeah - totally 'getting it' about people that are totally 'burnt' on their job - but ...)
But - in fact it IS your job - and in no way and by no definition does that include abusing the customers.
Some people really need a day off - some people really need multiple days off - and some people just need an attitude adjustment.

[BlueKota]

21. She could probably benefit from both time off

and an attitude adjustment. When I worked as a researcher for the local historical society, there was this lady who called, who made a very rude statement. She said she was writing a historical fiction novel about our area, and she wanted to know what were the main early immigrant populations in our area.

I said Irish and Italian. She replied, "wow you must have a lot of really bad tempered people in your area then. I don't want to write about them." She was totally serious not even joking. I wanted to say, well you bigoted bitch you're talking to someone who is a mix of both," and hang up but I didn't because back then I liked my job.

She proceeded to ask were there any other groups and I said they're were probably a few others, but those were the two primary ones. I then said, but one of our cities had a large Syrian community. She replied, " no I certainly don't want to write about them either."Guess I will have to chose another place to write about." After I hung up I said to myself, "good we wouldn't want you writing about us anyway." 🤣

[rsdsharp]

6. Being that rude to a customer is a good way to get fired.

A stock clerk who doesn’t know in which aisle to stock the goods he is responsible for is also.a candidate to be fired.

[BlueKota]

22. For sure

[Bristlecone]

7. How does he know where to stock items

If he doesn’t know where the items go

Stock Clerks should be the authority on where items are.

That guy should be fired IMO. There is no excuse for speaking to a customer that way.

[BlueKota]

24. Good question

[OAITW r.2.0]

8. That person won't be surviving long in their current job.

If I got that response, I'd go out of my way to find the manager and complain. Certainly not the norm....most people I know, either know exactly where the subject item is located or will eagerly lead me on the hunt.

I get a kick out of people that know which aisle. which side, which shelf, and approx location. Probably too smart to be working where they are.

[BlueKota]

25. I hope the lady who she talked to that way reported her

[Bluethroughu]

9. I think most of these stockers are not grocery store employees.

They work for a third party vendor to stock a manufacture they are contracted with, so they are underpaid and unnerved by their store to store schedule.

It was most likely a desperate person looking for a job to pay a bill, and probably quit the next day, but hate their life.

Not giving excuses for rudeness, but I try to be empathic of the slave wages and hard work most people have to do and usely give them a pass.

[BlueKota]

26. I bet you're right

that she was working for another company and not the store, because their employees are usually very kind and helpful.

[Bluethroughu]

47. The store can complain to the vendor, but it's my bet

This happens quite a bit.

[BlueKota]

58. That might be

She might have had incidents like this one before

[stopdiggin]

33. I witnessed exactly such an interaction just yesterday

still conducted in an entirely polite and professional manner.

[BlueKota]

59. That's the way it should be

[gab13by13]

10. If you let a response like that go right through you

it has no effect,

If you hold on to it, it does.

[BlueKota]

27. Good point

[lpbk2713]

11. That stock clerk won't be working there much longer.

No customer service skills.

[BlueKota]

28. Definitely agree on the no customer services skills

I would have lost all of the jobs I had over the years if I treated the customers or visitors that way.

[brush]

15. I'd write him up. Next time, don't let the door hit you in the...

[BlueKota]

29. For sure

[MLAA]

23. Unacceptable. The correct answer is I don't know, I am a stocker but let me find someone who can help you.

[BlueKota]

30. I agree

[kimbutgar]

32. The grocery store clerk should be fired for being so rude

At least she could have gone on the speaker and asked for assistance for the person.

[Silent Type]

37. Hope it was just a bad day. If that's his usual demeanor, he'll retire an underpaid/po'd stock clerk.

[BlueKota]

60. Hope so too

[Mr.Bill]

41. At Safeway stores here

they started a policy some years ago that if you ask an employee where something is, they are required to walk you to the item and point to it. I bet that increases sales enough to make it worth their time to do so.

[BlueKota]

61. That's normally what the employees do in this

store. That's why it took me by surprise. Sometimes other customers will even help you out, if there isn't a clerk near by. I've helped and been helped too.

The staff at Lowes does it too, even if the person isn't assigned to the department you're asking about.

[redwitch]

43. I work part time at the local grocery store.

I shop the orders for people to pick up or have delivered. I like helping people find their stuff.
And the stockers that come in for vendors and the ones who come in to refresh the shelves are unfailingly helpful and nice.

[Freddie]

52. I'm a regular at the local Giant

And I know where everything is sometimes more than the employees do, and try to help people that look like they’re searching for something. But every Giant is laid out differently, and if I’m at the “uptown” store I always forget something. (Bread should be on one of the “edges” not a middle aisle!)

[BlueKota]

63. That sounds like a great environment to work in.

I've encountered some nice stockers too. One day when I was going down the pop aisle both the Pepsi and Coke employees were restocking. They were good natured teasing each other about whose shelves were more empty.

I kind of stifled a laugh, and one turns to me and asked Coke or Pepsi. I said neither. Diet Dr. Pepper and Diet Canada Dry. The Coke guy said, "I win. Coke doesn't own either, but we bottle for both of them locally. I turned to the Pepsi guy and said, but my sister loves Pepsi. So it's a win-win. Then I moved on.

[XanaDUer2]

46. Had I ever responded like that

I would have been in deep deep trouble

[BlueKota]

64. Me too

I know when I worked as a cashier at Sears over the holidays one year, if I would have talked to a customer like that, I'd have been fired on the spot.

[marble falls]

51. In all my years of shopping in all sorts of shops in all sorts of neighborhood, I've never heard anything like ...

... like that come from employees. I've heard that and worse from customers.

[BlueKota]

65. It was surprising

although I had an employee of a local bus company be very rude to me, but she was an exception not the rule.

[marble falls]

68. It's shameful, the way people have started to treat each other. One more terrible thing to lay at TFG's feet: ...

... the right to be rude all the time.

[Hotler]

67. Must have been a Kroger. Rude people and still stocking shelves at 11:00am.